All craftsmen [(contractors, who undertake to do a job in their homes)] are hired watchers. [They are liable for theft and loss (of the vessels entrusted with them). For by reason of the benefit of being able to hold them as security for payment, they become hired watchers over them.] And all of them who say: "Take what is yours [For I have already finished my work and I am not holding it as security], and [after you take it], bring money" — [From that time on,] he is an unpaid watcher. (If one says to another:) "Watch (this) for me [today], and I will watch for you" [tomorrow], he is a hired watcher. [But if he says: "Watch this for me, and I will watch that for you in its place," both (watching) at the same time, this is called "watching with the owner" (see Exodus 22:14), and he is not liable.] (If one said:) "Watch (this) for me," and the other said: "Put it down before me," he is an unpaid watcher. [But if he just said: "Put it down before you," or merely: "Put it down," he is not even an unpaid watcher, not having undertaken to watch it at all.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
כל האומנין – a contactor (a hired man paid for certain work when it is done; or, a tenant of land at a fixed rent) who accepts aupon themselves to do work in their homes.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
Introduction
Mishnah six deals with the legal liability of craftsmen: as paid or unpaid guardians. It also contains several other laws with regards to paid and unpaid guardians.
Mishnah seven deals with the liability of a lender vis a vis the pledge he took to guarantee his loan.
Mishnah eight deals with the liability of carriers who trip and break a jar that they had been carrying from place to place.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
שומרי שכר – to be liable for theft and loss, and that benefit that he takes hold of a reward/payment for it, he is a paid bailee.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
A paid guardian has a greater liability over objects that he is guarding than an unpaid guardian. A paid guardian is liable if the object is lost or stolen but not liable if the object dies (if it is an animal) is broken or taken captive.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
וכולן שאמרו טול את שלך – for I have already completed it and I am not waiting to take my payment and after I bring it [to you], bring money. He is from that point on an unpaid bailee.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
All craftsmen are accounted paid guardians. But all that have said, “Take what is yours and give me the money”, are accounted unpaid guardians. Craftsmen who take objects into their possession to work on them, such as cloth to make into clothing or leather to make into shoes, have the status of paid guardians. If the object is lost or stolen they are liable to make compensation to the owner. If, however, the craftsmen told the owner to come and collect his item and pay the money, the craftsmen now have the status of an unpaid guardian.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
שמור לי ואשמור לך – guard for me today and I will guard for you tomorrow. But [if he said]: you guard this for me and I will guard this for you this other object in its place, and all of it is at the same time. This is the guarding of the owners [with him] and he is exempt [from being liable for loss and/or theft].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
If one man said to another, “Guard that for me and I will guard this for you”, he is accounted a paid guardian. If two people exchange objects for guarding they are both considered to be paid guardians. Although they are not paying each other for guarding the object, they are each in essence paying the other person by watching his object. Therefore they are each considered to be paid guardians.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
הנח לפני שומר חנם – but place it before you , or merely place it, he is not even an unpaid bailee, for he did not accept upon himself guarding [of it] at all.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
If one said, “Guard this for me”, and the other said “Put it down in front of me”, he is accounted an unpaid guardian. If someone asks another person to watch his object and the person responds by saying “Put it down in front of me” the guardian has the status of an unpaid guardian. Although he didn’t specifically say that he would guard the object, telling the other person to put the object down is sufficient to cause him to be a guardian.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
Questions for Further Thought: • Mishnah six: Why does a craftsman have the status of an unpaid guardian after he says, “Take what is yours and give me the money”?
